Does the rep of "unreliable" still hold true?

[TOUGE]

$1600 for tie rods!!?? I spent $75 on LH and RH side (from LRDirect) combined and had it all wrapped up in about 2 hours. Spent $130 for a 3 year alignment warranty at Pep Boys. Good to go.

Seriously Tie Rods on a LR3 are easy.

Yeah I did the rods myself, I just prefer genuine parts sometimes, all the control arms I did were from Atlantic British.

I take it to Land Rover for alignment because I got an alignment when I changed the lower control arms but the large chain shop that did the alignment put around 2.0degrees of toe out and that killed my front tyres pretty quickly, that shop of course denied all wrong doing. The dealer wasn't much more than their cost anyways and the alignment is still absolutely perfect even after many off road trips.

At $200 for an alignment you have a dealer or a local cost/tax issue, not a LR issue. My recent LR4 alignment was $120.

$200 is the going rate in Los Angeles inc tax, I called a few LR dealers.

 

[LR Max]

Yeah I believe that on the local alignment shop. When they pulled my LR3 up on the rack, the first thing the guy did was put the car in "off road height". I'm like, Why you do this!!??

I fixed it and told him I locked the computer down (tight tolerance mode) and not to mess with the settings. I'll have it re-done in 6 months, just to check. But the car isn't a DD so that helps.

 

[Mlaroccarex]

I have a 2007 LR3 with almost 270K and I have never been stranded... Do they eat brakes, sure, do they need new bushings you bet! But I also have a new Range TDI and I think the LR3 is just as nice!

 

[Jwestpro]

Ok, first off, I realize I'm asking a bunch of LR enthusiasts to stand by their vehicles, but help me out here. I have this ingrained notion that Land Rovers are "just plain unreliable" — particularly the electronics. That said, I'm searching for the right DD/adventuremobile and the D2/LR3/LR4 keeps cropping up in my price/capability range.

So 2 questions for the enthusiasts:
1. Are they really unreliable, or is that a hold-over reputation from the past?
2. Where's the sweet spot in the D2/LR3/LR4 line-up? What are the gotchas to look out for?
- Am I safe buying at 100k plus (yes, I understand it depends on the owner, the maintenance, etc)?
- Any particular features or models years to aim for or avoid?

For reference, I'm also considering a Wrangler JK, a 4Runner, and a Lexus GX. Thanks in advance!

LOL Try researching the model changes even as easily as on wiki and you’d find its retarded to include the Disco II with the later models. The only thing the same is the brand name.

The answer to the post is D2-yes, lr3/4 not even close, no. Yes, AM an current models expert in these having driven about 500,000 miles in Rovers since 2001.

 

[Jwestpro]

I have a 2007 LR3 with almost 270K and I have never been stranded... Do they eat brakes, sure, do they need new bushings you bet! But I also have a new Range TDI and I think the LR3 is just as nice!

Never stranded in my D1, DII, or LR3 either but “Eat brakes”? No, your driving does, but the lr3 doesn’t. I’m on just the 3rd set in 2017 at 135,000 so it’s you, not the vehicle. I’m tired of hearing this type of nonsense from people on auto forums.

 

[Victory_Overland]

Every time Victory let me down it's because I let her down way before that! hahaha!

Best vehicle I have ever owned; fit, form; and function in every area of my needs! Considering she's spent a great deal fo time off-road and high-mileage on road, I would say that the maintenance is much better than that of her predecessors in my household that spent most of their time on road because they were nowhere near as capable off-road!

Rover on my friends, Rover on!

 

[johnsoax]

Never stranded in my D1, DII, or LR3 either but “Eat brakes”? No, your driving does, but the lr3 doesn’t. I’m on just the 3rd set in 2017 at 135,000 so it’s you, not the vehicle. I’m tired of hearing this type of nonsense from people on auto forums.

The set I'm on has over 53k miles on them, and they still have 3/8" of pad left. I listened to the talk of eating brakes a few years ago, but I just don't see it either.

 

[jasmtis]

If you decide to buy a D2, expect to touch every single part and system from bumper to bumper. They are now pushing 20 yrs old, most likely a third owner, and little to no maintenance done. It'll need everything.
If its making the infamous "land Rover" tick, go ahead and do a full rebuild with top hat liners. The transmission, at least in my case, has been trouble free. Also remember, if you look at a LR D2 and its not leaking oil, don't drive it cause it out of oil.

My daily driver is a Toyota 4Runner. Every asks me "why do you spend money on a LR when you have a Toyota?".
My reply, "Anyone can do a cross-country tour in a Toyota. I'm gonna do it a 25 yr old British luxury 4X4, because I can".

This. (apologies for gravedigging the reply, I'm newish here.) My daily driver is a current-gen Tacoma and I have a Range Rover Classic. I love both for their own reasons. Toyota ownership is like having a really excellent tool, Rover ownership is like having a dog. I like to say that the Rover is for going places and the Toyota is for getting places.

 

[crystalclear]

ive had them all, and the lr3/4 koolaid is strong
did a cross country 7k mile trip this year in mine, hwy miles melt away, and miles on dirt are so much fun
almost no reason to even consider d2’s now - so dont, d1’s are great but hwy miles do not melt away

 

[Swedjen]

I wrote in a similar thread that a friend of mine sold his 2006 LR3 with 150K to another friend. The "new" owner has since put 200K miles on it for a total of 350K. A couple compressors, a couple A-Arm changes...that's about it.
The hint to happiness is change ALL fluids per the maintenance schedule - transmission fluid and diff fluid even more often, esp. if its got one of them rear Lockers. Overlook nothing. They are still talking to each other.

Got it Grasshopper?

 

[DiscoDavis]

another LR3 vote. Great car. Well put together

 

[Swedjen]

I, on the other hand, would rather get a D2 in good running condition, which is why I'm putting an ACR 4.8 Hi-Torque Short Stoke in mine. Yes, it has top hat liners.
If I beat it up too badly on some Rubicon wanna'be, I can always transplant the lockers, axels, skid plates, rack, lights, bumpers, suspension, running gear, etc to another. Jus' like Young Frankenstein. (It's Frankensteen)

One of these days though, an LR something will be in my driveway.

 

[LKLK]

Nope.